Bears center suggestion makes complete sense on several levels
From a starting standpoint and for depth, a possible route to find a long-term Bears center suggested by one of their former players might be worth studying.
Sometimes history provides the best answer.
The Bears are in a situation where they need a center to complete the offensive line picture after trading for guards Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney but their salary cap cash supply has dwindled by about 40% from what it had been before the trades and a few contracts for their own free agents.
This would be fine if they didn’t need a few defensive linemen, a running back and a few other assorted positions.
One of their best all-time centers suggested an answer from his own past and it wouldn’t necessarily mean they must sign the top free agent center, Drew Dalman. Although it could work by signing him, too.
Former Bears center Olin Kreutz recalled his own start while speaking with Mark Grote and David Haugh on AM-670, WSCR.
“I would like to see them get a young center and maybe also bring in a veteran center like when the Bears drafted me and I sat behind Casey Wiegmann for a year and learned and learned a lot from Casey Wiegmann about how to be a pro, how to study my (play)book. I sat behind himn and really needed that year to learn.”
The Bears had a wealth of young centers then. Wiegmann left as a free agent, went on to play 15 years, including 3 1/2 years with the Bears, nine with Kansas City, two with Denver and half a season with the Jets. Kreutz watched him as a rookie in 1999, took over as starter in 1999, then was out nine games in 2000 with a knee injury while Wiegmann started. Then Wiegmann left as a free agent for the 2001 season.
